Shoot hoops, get a wellness check at inaugural ‘Boca Fest’

Lace up your sneakers, improve your health and help kick off the first ever “Boca Fest: Catch the Wellness Wave” event in Boca Grande.

A celebration is planned to take place at the Boca Grande Community Center on Saturday, November 17.

The Friends of Boca Grande Comunity Center are proud to host the inaugural “Boca Fest” wellness event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Start the day off by participating in the annual “Turkey Hoop Shoot” at 10 a.m. Registration starts at 9:15 a.m. at the outdoor basketball court. This is a free event for all ages and is sponspored by the Boca Beacon and Lee County Parks and Recreation.

After that, check out the fitness, yoga and tap dancing demonstrations, and stop by the wellness booth.

Kerry Hunter, member of the Boca Fest committee, is currently collecting healthy recipes to hand out to attendees at the event. Those interested in contributing can provide a recipe by sending an email to khunter@ebtfl.com or call Kerry at 941-473-3629 for pickup. Make sure to include your business logo. Recipes should be sent by Thursday, November 15.

There will also be CPR and safety demonstrations, a bloodmobile, flu shots and health screenings.

A 2-mile “fun walk” will take place on the GICIA bike path.

Participants will have a chance to win a door prize. The participant with the best poker hand at the end of the walk will win a prize donated by the Boca Grande Woman’s Club. Prizes will be awarded on the outdoor stage. Register under the pavilion between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Here’s how it will work: Attendees will draw one playing card to begin, walk the route to draw four more cards, and have a complete five-card hand by finishing the route. The walk should take approximately 25 to 45 minutes.

Marcy Shortuse is the editor of the Boca Beacon, and has been with the paper since 2007. She is also editor of the Boca Beacon's sister publication, Gasparilla Magazine.
She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing local newspapers and is originally from the Chicago area.